December 18, 2013

Reuters Video: London's first whisky distillery in 100 years

The first distillery in over 100 years in London to get a license for producing single malt whisky fills up its first casks. Tara Cleary reports.

TRANSCRIPTREPORTER: The early stages of London's first whisky in 110 years. But it's not called whisky just yet - U.K. law dictates that a minimum of three years have to pass for it to be sold as whisky. Located on the banks of the Thames River, The London Distillery Company's single malt product will hit the English capital's shelves by 2017, says CEO Darren Rook. DARREN ROOK, CEO AND FOUNDER OF THE LONDON DISTILLERY COMPANY: "2016 it will be officially spirit but we want to give it enough time that we feel happy with it. It might be that it even goes 12 years or 10, but it will definitely be whisky in 2016." REPORTER: The distillery is using local ingredients like barley from Wiltshire and yeast from Surrey that give London whisky a distinctive taste. And head distiller Andrew MacLeod, who works with a 650-liter or 170-gallon copper pot still nicknamed 'Matilda', says it's also the environment that adds to the end product. ANDREW MACLEOD, HEAD DISTILLER: "This in itself used to be an old dairy, a Victorian dairy, so who knows what sort of weird and wonderful bacteria and yeast are living in these walls? So, that will give us a distinct spirit - something that can't be replicated anywhere else." REPORTER: So even though it looks good enough to drink now, London's first whisky in a century will have to wait a few more years before it's ready for the tumbler.

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The first distillery in over 100 years in London to get a license for producing single malt whisky fills up its first casks. Tara Cleary reports.

TRANSCRIPTREPORTER: The early stages of London's first whisky in 110 years. But it's not called whisky just yet - U.K. law dictates that a minimum of three years have to pass for it to be sold as whisky. Located on the banks of the Thames River, The London Distillery Company's single malt product will hit the English capital's shelves by 2017, says CEO Darren Rook. DARREN ROOK, CEO AND FOUNDER OF THE LONDON DISTILLERY COMPANY: "2016 it will be officially spirit but we want to give it enough time that we feel happy with it. It might be that it even goes 12 years or 10, but it will definitely be whisky in 2016." REPORTER: The distillery is using local ingredients like barley from Wiltshire and yeast from Surrey that give London whisky a distinctive taste. And head distiller Andrew MacLeod, who works with a 650-liter or 170-gallon copper pot still nicknamed 'Matilda', says it's also the environment that adds to the end product. ANDREW MACLEOD, HEAD DISTILLER: "This in itself used to be an old dairy, a Victorian dairy, so who knows what sort of weird and wonderful bacteria and yeast are living in these walls? So, that will give us a distinct spirit - something that can't be replicated anywhere else." REPORTER: So even though it looks good enough to drink now, London's first whisky in a century will have to wait a few more years before it's ready for the tumbler.